Be Your Own Birder

North America Field Guides

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Whether you’re a resident of North America (as I am) or planning a visit to the continent, there are dozens of field guides to help you find, identify, and enjoy the hundreds of birds recorded in the region (up to 2,000 or more species, depending on records, vagrant sightings, and border definitions). I have personally reviewed, handled, and scrutinized each of the guides listed below – Check back regularly for new and updated guides, or contact me for more information or to suggest adding your favorite guide to the list!

North America Field Guides

Defining North America

For birding field guide purposes, “North America” is generally defined as including the continental United States, Canada, and Alaska, but typically not Mexico, Greenland, or the Caribbean. This more restrictive definition (all these regions are in the geographical definition of North America) helps keep field guides manageable for size, publication, portability, and cost.

Within that definition, there are still 700+ bird species that regularly occur in North America, with dozens more that could be added as vagrants and extremely rare sightings (many field guides omit the rarest birds for practical purposes, though more common vagrants are usually included). If all the geographical North American region were to be included in a single guide, there would be 2,000+ species to incorporate, and even with a crowded page of 12 species per page, that would still amount to 330+ pages, plus additional pages for indexes, introductions, or supplemental information. Most field guides tend to keep an average of roughly six species or fewer per page so the illustrations, photos, and text are not so crowded as to be illegible, which would create a guide of 660+ pages. Fortunately, there’s nothing wrong with owning many field guides, and smaller regions to be covered simply provide birders with more thorough, useful resources for birding in different areas.

North America Field Guides

Click on field guide titles or images for purchase information through Amazon.com.

Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication Date: 2005
  • Bird Artwork: Photographs
  • Pages: 392
  • Portability: Excellent

Be Your Own Birder’s Thoughts: Reliable, convenient, and easy to use, it is no surprise that Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America is one of the most popular field guides for this region. Suitable for both beginning and advanced birders, the guide includes a detailed introduction, a pictorial table of contents, and color-coded organization. The digitally-enhanced photos clearly show field marks without distorting birds’ true appearances, providing the benefit of photographic artwork with the precision of artistic drawings. Common subspecies are represented, giving the guide longevity in case of species’ splits. Range maps face profiles for easy reference, and include notations for irruptions and expanding ranges. The binding is exceptionally durable for hard use, and the glossy pages show colors accurately.

  • Best Surprise: Checklist integrated into index for easy notation and listing.
  • What’s Missing: Index only uses common names, with no index for scientific names.
The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America
  • Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
  • Publication Date: 2010
  • Bird Artwork: Photographs
  • Pages: 816
  • Portability: Moderate

Be Your Own Birder’s Thoughts: The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America is a superb choice for both beginning and advanced birders. Stunning photos and detailed text serve for field identification as well as an exceptional reference for birders who feel its somewhat hefty bulk may be too unwieldy to tote around. Covering more than 850 species with more than 3,400 color photographs, including head profiles and flight photos where most useful, this guide is more extensive than most, and the bonus CD provides an additional resource that can be useful for birding by ear. The sturdy binding is pre-creased and durable for heavy use, though the weight of the guide could be challenging at times. Still, the guide is surprisingly compact for all that it contains, and is not so large as to be entirely unmanageable.

  • Best Surprise: Text includes details of hybridizations and subspecies.
  • What’s Missing: Lacks discussion of behaviors that could be useful for identification.
Birds of North America and Greenland
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press
  • Publication Date: 2011
  • Bird Artwork: Illustrations
  • Pages: 240
  • Portability: Excellent

Be Your Own Birder’s Thoughts: Though just 240 pages, this compact guide covers 900+ species with detailed illustrations and concise text. While not an exhaustive guide for every color morph, age variation, or subspecies of North American birds, this volume is a wonderful choice for birders who already have a casual familiarity with the region’s birds. Dimorphic species and distinctive geographic morphs are included, and while each page shows 5-15 species (most are 8-10), this does make it easier to compare very similar birds, and the printing and illustrations, while small, are very clear. The index includes both common and scientific names for fast reference, and because of its superb portability, this guide is ideal for somewhat experienced birders no matter where they travel in this extensive region.

  • Best Surprise: One of the few North America guides that actually includes Greenland.
  • What’s Missing: Range maps are tiny and tight to the binding, making them hard to see.
The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press
  • Publication Date: 2011
  • Bird Artwork: Photographs
  • Pages: 544
  • Portability: Poor

Be Your Own Birder’s Thoughts: A birder needs only to open The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds to any random bird to instantly recognize its value and how different it is from typical field guides and reference books. With more than 10,000 photos blended into 640 richly textured photographic plates, this book provides an immersive, visual treat with an interactive feel that provides a “real life” look at each species rather than over-simplified diagnostic images or drawings. The accompanying text is brief but informative, written in a vibrant, conversational style. This book is not intended as a true field guide, however, but instead is a practical manual for bird identification that can be useful for pre-birding study or post-birding verification, though enthusiastic birders may not mind its size and weight for field use.

  • Best Surprise: Photo collages show birds at different angles, distances, and postures.
  • What’s Missing: Lacks pointers to help distinguish vital field marks in composite photos.
Backyard Birds of Florida (15 states available!)
  • Publisher: Gibbs Smith
  • Publication Date: 2008-2009
  • Bird Artwork: Photographs
  • Pages: 96
  • Portability: Excellent

Be Your Own Birder’s Thoughts: Birders are always hoping to attract new species to their bird baths, feeders, and bird houses, and the Backyard Birds series offers state-specific information to do just that. While each volume only covers the most common 25 species – and those birds are duplicated in many states – the easy, useful tips are ideal for beginning backyard birders, casual birders, or gardeners who have begun to notice birds in their yard. Extensive plant lists, a quick reference guide, feeding chart, and bird topography provide even more reference information for beginning birders. More experienced birders will prefer a more comprehensive, detailed resource, but these simple books can be a good way to introduce backyard birding to anyone. (States Available: CA, FL, GA, IL, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI)

  • Best Surprise: Includes tips for how to attract each bird included in each state’s book.
  • What’s Missing: Only 15 states have been published, with no plans for additional states.
Peterson Field Guide to Eastern and Central North America
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication Date: 2010
  • Bird Artwork: Illustrations
  • Pages: 464
  • Portability: Excellent

Be Your Own Birder’s Thoughts: The sixth edition of the revolutionary guide first introduced in 1934, Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America is a classic work that continues the tradition of excellence Peterson Field Guides have been renowned for with generations of birders. This is a fine choice for beginning and intermediate birders, and the sturdy, water-resistant binding will hold up well for frequent field use. Birders used to photographic guides may find some of the illustrations have a contrived appearance, but the details are clear and the field mark pointers are highly useful. Small range maps are included with each bird profile, and larger, more detailed range maps are found at the back of the book. The life list checklist at the back of the book is a welcome record for birders to note their sightings.

  • Best Surprise: Arrows highlight key field marks for fast reference and identification.
  • What’s Missing: Some illustration pages are overcrowded, giving only partial details.
Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication Date: 2010
  • Bird Artwork: Illustrations
  • Pages: 512
  • Portability: Excellent

Be Your Own Birder’s Thoughts: Simple enough for beginning birders yet with enough detail to be useful for more experienced birders, Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America is compact and convenient for field use. While the abbreviated text lacks extensive detail, it is thorough enough to be a suitable identification reference. The artistic plates are well organized and detailed, though occasionally overcrowded in an attempt to group many similar species together. Similar birds are illustrated in similar poses and sized relative to one another for easy comparison. Small range maps are included alongside each bird profile, and larger, more detailed maps are found at the end of the book, though they add more bulk to the volume without a great deal of additional information.

  • Best Surprise: Life list checklist is a welcome tool for keeping track of birds seen.
  • What’s Missing: Some illustrations are overcrowded, with only partial views of birds.
NWF Field Guide to Birds of North America
  • Publisher: Sterling Publishing
  • Publication Date: 2007
  • Bird Artwork: Photographs
  • Pages: 530
  • Portability: Excellent

Be Your Own Birder’s Thoughts: Every inch of space in the National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America is put to excellent use, with maps and migration routes inside the front cover, bird topography and a ruler inside the back cover, and each page of the 700+ birds covered thoughtfully arranged with multiple photos, range maps, and informative, well-written text. The 33-page introduction provides a good overview and tips for both new and moderate birders, an extensive glossary is a helpful feature, the species checklist is ideal for keeping a life list, and a quick index helps birders find the birds they’re looking for more easily. Furthermore, section introductions describe different types of birds and provide superb background for all birders. With so much to offer, this guide can quickly become any birder’s favorite go-to field guide.

  • Best Surprise: Binding opens the thick volume fully so no details are obscured.
  • What’s Missing: Text, not pointers, distinguishes field marks and can be hard to read.
Smithsonian Birds of North America
  • Publisher: DK Publishing
  • Publication Date: 2006
  • Bird Artwork: Photographs (some illustrations)
  • Pages: 1,008
  • Portability: Poor

Be Your Own Birder’s Thoughts: A beautifully designed reference, Smithsonian Birds of North America is one of the more comprehensive books available covering the birds of this region. The introduction orients readers to the book and discusses bird anatomy, topography, proper identification, silhouettes, behavior, abundance, and more. Tips for both backyard and field birding are included, as well as how to hone one’s birding skills and help with conservation. Within the species profiles, large photos are well marked to show key field marks, and smaller, simple illustrations show different ages and plumages where appropriate. Range maps, measurements, nesting behavior, songs, and more are all included, giving birders a rich overview of each bird. The hardcover book, however, is impractical for field use but would be a delightful addition to a reference library or birder’s bookshelf.

  • Best Surprise: Flight pattern diagrams and nest identification details are included.
  • What’s Missing: Only one photo per bird, though it is well highlighted with pointers.
Birds of North America: Eastern Region
  • Publisher: DK Publishing
  • Publication Date: 2011
  • Bird Artwork: Photographs (some illustrations)
  • Pages: 480
  • Portability: Excellent

Be Your Own Birder’s Thoughts: Colorful, comprehensive, and convenient, the American Museum of Natural History Birds of North America: Eastern Region guide is ideal for beginning or intermediate birders. This guide is richly illustrated and includes clear photos with identifying pointers, illustrations for in-flight birds, and habitat shots for each species, giving birders a thorough examination of the birds. Similar species are also shown right on the same page for easy comparison, along with the necessary range maps, flight patterns, and size measurements to ensure proper identification. The introductory information is similarly comprehensive, and gives birders a good background for how to identify birds, migration, courtship, nesting behavior, and even the evolution of birds. This guide can truly be a fine resource for any birder to enjoy.

  • Best Surprise: Notes section with each profile is ideal for recording sightings, dates, etc.
  • What’s Missing: Text is clearly printed but very small and can be difficult to read.
Birds of North America: Western Region
  • Publisher: DK Publishing
  • Publication Date: 2011
  • Bird Artwork: Photographs (some illustrations)
  • Pages: 480
  • Portability: Excellent

Be Your Own Birder’s Thoughts: Like its Eastern companion, the American Museum of Natural History Birds of North America: Western Region guide is a visual delight and a rich resource. From its comprehensive introduction to the detailed species accounts with sections for simple notes to the glossary and index, this can be a birder’s one go-to guide for all birds on the western part of the continent. It must be noted, however, that rare species get much simpler treatment in both guides, with four birds briefly profiled on each page rather than the in-depth, full-page treatment. This can make these guides less appealing for more dedicated birders. For anyone just getting started birding, however, or birders who are interested in a more comprehensive field guide library, the depth of information on more easily seen species is unparalleled, and these guides are highly recommended.

  • Best Surprise: Richly visual and clearly detailed information for all common bird profiles.
  • What’s Missing: Brief treatment of rare species is somewhat disappointing.